Term of Award

Spring 2004

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Department

Department of Fine Arts

Committee Chair

Bruce Little

Committee Member 1

Greg Carter

Committee Member 2

Patricia Carter

Abstract

I see the need for order and meaning as being a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Unfortunately, the universe that humanity inhabits is one that often seems meaningless and chaotic. The tension between the often feeble orders humanity builds and the chaos of the surrounding universe is of central importance to the body of work that makes up the thesis exhibition. This tension informs every aspect of the work, from its making to its viewing, and is manifested in the formal and conceptual contrasts present in the thesis work. Tension is created formally through the juxtaposition of organic and geometric forms as well as the juxtaposition of orderly elements, like mathematical drawings, and chaotic elements, like splatters of paint. Conceptual tension is created through the comparison of opposites. For example insects are placed with images of stars as a means of comparing the minuscule to the immense, three-dimensional objects are incorporated into paintings contrasting the flatness of the image with the form of the object, some materials used in the work are highly manipulated while others are left as they were found.

The artworks in the thesis exhibition are also about provoking thought and emotions; pushing the viewer into a journey within their own imagination. My goal, when executing this body of work, was to produce art in which the viewer is led into an internal dialogue with him or herself. This dialogue is accomplished through the evocative juxtaposition of everyday objects. When one encounters the thesis works, one is confronted by associations, memories, and emotions brought about through these juxtapositions. I believe this is the path to an inner dialogue, to self-exploration, and ultimately to self-discovery. It is my hope that the thesis work evokes an examination of self and surroundings similar to the one that inspired its creation.

Copyright

To obtain a full copy of this work, please visit the campus of Georgia Southern University or request a copy via your institution's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department. Authors and copyright holders, learn how you can make your work openly accessible online.

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